Remember

Over the years we meet so many people. Some of those people we forget almost immediately, others we remember for a while but over the years they seem to fade from our memory, and then there are those who leave such an impact on us that their memories will last for a lifetime.

There are a lot of people I have met who I would consider 'lifers': a term I use to describe the people who will never leave my memory even if it is years between each visit. Most of my 'lifers' I would expect to be here my whole lifetime. Although I know God has other plans sometimes, I really never plan on losing a 'lifer'. God has taken a few of my 'lifers' much earlier than I had hoped for...and most recently Katie has joined the others in heaven. I'm sure this will end up being longer than planned so read if you like but this is more for my own soul...

Katie is a friend of mine from College. We met my freshman year as I pledged Chi Omega. I was definitely blessed with the most amazing 'family away from home' in Chi Omega. I hold the memories of each of my sisters dear although some were there for more experiences than others. Katie and I were more acquaintances until we embarked on a journey that would forever change our lives and be embedded in our memories. January of 2006 we spent a month living together in Nicaragua with a group from school. It was a medical mission where we worked in clinics treating patients with the local doctors and had some days off to tour paradise. For those of you who are not aware, Nicaragua is a country between Honduras and Costa Rica in Central America. We traveled the main land for a few days but spent most of our time on a very remote island made up of 2 volcanoes.Our group contained a wide variety of students so some of us stuck a little closer together for our own sanity :o) Tagged ourselves as the A team. 'A' standing for many things on the trip but quite frankly we were stinkers and competitive in every form so we felt we were A quality....we also enjoyed adventures that were not necessarily in the 'teachers agenda.' But that's beside the point...

Memories were made around every corner. Katie and I found humor is just about anything and were sure to document the whole trip. We knew this was not an event we should take for granted. Above you see us enjoying the 'Bearded Monkey' which was one of the many many many hotels/pubs located in Nicaragua on the Main land. We also felt we deserved a vacation away from the rest of the group. They tended to 'suck up' every now and then and we didn't want to do what they were doing, so we ventured off. Now Nicaragua is a very.....Macho country. And i say this because women are more objects than anything. Because of this and the lack of stupidity we brought our body guard (assigned to our group for the trip) with us on our adventure. So Katie, Lisa (not pictured) and myself set out on a boat trip around the island with some of the local fisherman. They owned a tilapia farm close by our station and we had toured their facility earlier in the week. The professors were less than thrilled but Saul( Body guard) reminded them that we were stubborn women and they might as well let us enjoy our time without a fuss. So we were off. And the trip was great until the boat broke down in the middle of Lake Nicaragua (surrounding the island and comparable to Lake Michigan in size). We are pictured below laughing at the fact that there was no doubt we were in for a lecture when we returned seeing as it was after dark and curfew. Just another memory I will cherish for a lifetime. Clearly we got back safely and there was a bit of a ruckus on our return as everyone else was upset they didn't get to go....Again...A Team privileges.

This is a model of the island we lived on. It is the best way to show the two volcanoes and the lake. Below is a picture of one volcano 'Maderas' being overtaken by a cloud. This is the smaller of the two volcanoes and has been dormant for a while it is often climbed by tourists (with a guide). It is now covered by vegetation in rain forest form. The larger volcano is still active but can also be climbed to an extent...this was not in the agenda as it is quite dangerous and special equipment is needed.

One day of our trip was spent climbing the volcano. The professors informed us that it would be difficult, but I don't think people realized how insane this hike would be. There are no trails, and many sections are straight up (thus the reason for needing a guide who knows the area). Our class started out on the 5 hour hike to the top, and after about an hour only 4 remained. All members of the A Team I might add. The picture below shows those hiking in front of me about halfway up the volcano. In front is one of the guides then Mari, and Katie followed by Saul. As you can see it was a steep climb and this was not the worst area (i was hanging on so tight in the other spots i didn't get out my camera :o)

We took a few breaks and below I am pictured with Katie in a clearing. We are soaked and some of this is sweat however because the volcano is now a rain forest much of the water is rain and moisture from the trees. On a clear day you can see the lake from this clearing but it didn't turn out in the picture.

We finally reached the top after about 5 hours. And what a reward. At the top is a lake. This is inside the crater where the lava used to flow from. It is incredible and words cannot describe the beauty. And of course being adventurous we decided to swim in the lake. We didn't have suits sooo we kinda swam in our undergarments, thus the reason i didn't not post a picture of us swimming. The swim didn't last long as we we sinking in lava soot to about our knees and Mari was bit by something we could not see in the water. But it was such a memory. I could not have spent the time with anyone more wonderful either. Below is us after another 5 hour hike down the volcano. Clearly filthy and tired but going strong. I love you A Team!!

The adventures didn't stop on the volcano. We traveled to many local establishments to immerse ourselves in the culture. Above is part of the A Team being goofy. Nate, Myself, Katie, and Tim (aka Tiki). Nate made it to the top of the volcano also but on a different day than us, haha he would be mad if he didn't get this credit. Below Katie and I are kissing away our serious sunburns. Always an adventure.

Another trip we went on was a kayak trip around the island. There are two very small islands off the coast of where we stayed that are called Monkey Islands. These are places where people drop off their pet monkeys when they don't want them anymore. Sounds cruel but the main island is swarming with wild monkeys and people love to catch the cute things. But once they are pets they never leave and the only way to get rid of them is to put them on the island. People kayak past the island to see the monkeys and they will come out for food. Over the years they have become mean monkeys because people tease them and they have to fight for food (i know i know PETA would have a fit) BUT it was part of our adventure...visiting the monkeys. Katie and I were with Saul which was a blessing and a curse. We love the man but he is more daring than we are. And others captured his daring behavior as he bugged the monkeys and got a little closer than we would have liked. I wish we had a video so you could hear the two of us scream. One monkey actually grabbed Katie's foot and that would be about when we tipped the boat.

In the water we went...laughing and screaming praying the monkeys could not swim. Katie lost her beloved Green Bay Packers hat in this endeavor. *RIP Cute Pink Packers Hat* This is about when Saul is laughing his head off at the two of us as we tell him how he almost killed us and let the monkeys eat us. haha *forever embedded*

We teetered and we tottered on our beautiful Island. Climbed waterfalls. looked into a lava filled steaming volcano. Ventured through a bat filled cave. went on a 10 mile bike ride around the island. Played with school children. And served people in medical clinics.

Katie graduated a year before me and was dearly missed. Her love for life and consistent smile touched everyone she encountered. Her laugh was contagious and could be heard on the other side of campus if you really got her going. Katie continued to travel after graduation... adventurous remember. She also got engaged and was to be married to her college sweetheart Mark, this August 29th. But plans changed.

Katie was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia on December 13 of 2008. She underwent Chemo, a stem cell transplant, more chemo, isolation, and remission. The wedding was postponed to allow Katie to heal. But, remission only lasted for a short while as Katie relapsed July 8th. More Chemo and the remainder of her transplant were not enough to call off God's plan. She spent her 25th birthday in the Hospital not quite the party she would have requested. And she kicked that stupid Cancer's butt in the process, but the weakness from the fight was too much for her little body. On August 7th Katie was called home. No goodbye is easy, but a life cut short is a bit harder to grasp. And we cry but we are joyful that Katie's life is now beginning. So Rest Dear Katie....free of cancer, pain, annoying doctors, needles, beeping machines...you are loved.

We spent a month together in paradise and I will never forget it. I will never forget the other memories we made together in Chi Omega and at Carthage, but our adventure holds a special place in my heart. And now Katie is enjoying real paradise and someday I am sure we will find plenty of adventures there...on the real A Team.

Our First House (Before the Makeover)

Since we moved back to IL we have been looking for a place to buy rather than rent. We were lucky enough to have flexible landlords at our duplex so we were not tied into a rental if we happened to find 'the place'. We started out on our journey not really knowing what we were looking for, just where. Kinda....

Micah grew up in Morton so he wanted to remain in his hometown. I grew up in Germantown Hills and as a serious Metamora Football Fan, I was not planning on living anywhere out of the school district. We also decided to look into houses in Dunlap and considered a few in East Peoria and Washington. Nothing really stuck out to us as we looked at newer houses, really nasty old houses, cute, ugly, big, small....you know the drill. When we found one that was somewhat where we wanted to be price wise, something would go wrong. But, finally, by May we had a little luck.

Micah's grandpa owns some apartments in Morton and happened to know of a house that was not on the market but that would be for sale shortly (estate sale). So being the helpful grandpa that he is, he requested a private showing for us before it went on the market. So we got to see the house in all it's glory....the stench of elderly, the clutter old people seem to accumulate over time, and trash everywhere as the kids were trying to pack up all of the stuff they wanted and get rid of everything they didn't. My Favorite was the blue carpet and horrid wallpaper...definitely a fixer upper. Hubby had been complaining that he wanted a place that he would be able to fix up but i don't think he knew what he was getting into. So, the day the house went on the market we put in an offer and go the house.

We got possession on the 15th of May and moved in on the 30th. (Never again will I move into a house that is a construction zone) Let's just say the house was/is a mess and we are SLOWLY getting to a point where we feel like having people come over. The roof needed to be redone and ended up being a 3 week project as Micah had no help....literally. Then it was time to get a few rooms livable. The paint on the walls and ceilings was peeling off....so micah scraped, sanded, put in new drywall, primed, ripped up carpet....stripped two of the bedrooms and living room while i ripped down wallpaper and paint when i had the chance. It was rather difficult to assist in some of the projects as I was working 70 hour weeks and taking 3 classes.

Anyhow, we are finally mostly unpacked (expect for the rooms that cannot be set up yet) and can say that we actually have decent looking rooms. The master bedroom, one guest bedroom, and the living room now have new carpet, new paint, and are set up with furniture (decorations are still in the works). We have also removed the radiant heat system and put in a furnace in order to add space to the rooms. I have some before pics but haven't take after pics yet ( will in a few days).

House from the front. This is pre-new roof and landscaping.

backyard- it is actually a really good sized yard but also has horrid landscaping. we will be redoing that next spring when we get a chance. I refuse to do anything to it until the inside looks nice (just in case CAT makes us move again)

The living room. I had actually forgotten how much I hated it until i saw this picture again. The carpet, paint, and furniture really make the room look 100 times better. (can't wait to share)

Guest bedroom (above and below) as you can see the blue carpet needed to be retired.

Master Bedroom (above and below)

Check back for updates soon. Micah is still building me a closet (trying to maximize space). We are also trying to finish up the trip and put in the light fixtures and Baseboard. Once that is complete i will show you pictures (pre-decoration).

To Do List:

guest bedroom #2/office

hallway

kitchen

dining room

2 bathrooms

landscaping

finish basement

We are hoping to have all the rooms done by Christmas and then will redo the kitchen once we replenish our funds....but for a fun little pic of how horrid the kitchen is....I am making it work but before we sell it needs some serious TLC. I believe the stove and dishwasher are the first ever made.